Nova Alternative: 1978 Buick Skylark
When General Motors redesigned its X-body compact platform in 1975, the Skylark nameplate moved over from the intermediate ranks. The X-body is better known as the basis for the Chevy Nova which Pontiac and Oldsmobile also deployed. This example from 1978 looks to be in nice condition and has recently been serviced and should be ready to roll. Located in Chesapeake, Virginia, this survivor is available (through a dealer?) here on craigslist for $5,950. Another great tip brought to us by Tony Primo!
A bit on the strange side, this generation of the X-body Buicks used parallel names. For 2-door sedans and hatchbacks, the auto was called Skylark. But if you bought the same car as a 4-door sedan, it was an Apollo (Why? But they would consolidate later). In the 1970s, Buick’s famous “VentiPorts” had disappeared but returned for 1975-79. Over the years, the mix of engines would change, but the Buick-built 350 cubic inch V8 was an option and the seller’s car has one.
The Buick division of GM saw sales of more than 800,000 cars in 1978 and the Skylark only represented about 15% of output. That was an indication that Buick buyers were still looking for big cars, not compacts like the Skylark. About 55,000 Skylarks were sold as coupes with varying degrees of trim. We don’t know the history of this Buick, but it looks like the reported 62,000 miles could be legit.
Body and paint-wise, this Buick is in pretty good shape. The only noticeable flaw is that the vinyl roof material is starting to separate along the trim below the opera window on the driver’s side. As you would expect for a Buick of any type, this one has factory air conditioning, and power accessories, and the 350 V8 is better suited to the car than the 231 V6 that I had in a 1978 Pontiac Phoenix. The interior is where the wear is more visible as the leather upholstery (we think) is very loose and wrinkled. For less than $6,000, is this a car for you?
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Comments
A HS buddy’s girl friend had a 1972 Pontiac Ventura that made folks do a double take thinking it was a Nova. Don’t know I’ve ever seen one of these!
My first car was a 1972 Ventura. I loved that car and never see them any more. I thought they were better looking than the Nova.
Always liked all the different varieties of the Nova especially the Ventura being a hard-core Pontiac fan . They all seemed just a little nicer than the plain Nova but that’s the model I owned the most of from a 72 with the 250 workhorse up to a 78 with a 305 4 barrel with dual exhaust and every one of them could spin at least 1 wheel on dry pavement so this Buick 350 should work good . I also had a 77, I think , 4 door Nova with a Chevy 350 2 barrel single exhaust that had a limited slip that I backed off the adjuster on the back shoes just to make burnouts that much easier with a little braking pressure. I used to go through so many tires I starting getting all the old halfworn snow tires people would replace just to have brand new ones for the winter from all the garages around town when I was in high school. Those were good times until you’d look up through the tire smoke to see the police car sitting at the entrance to the parking lot watching you doin donuts for the last 10 minutes lol .
I can’t complain tho they were usually pretty cool about it and just tell ya to stop it and find some where better to be doing that stuff
My cousin Eddie (not that one), had this in the Nova version. Rear was a hatch, not a trunk.
Better without the unsightly vinyl.
I agree. Vinyl roofs are a crime against styling, and vinyl upholstery is like flypaper in a hot, sticky summer, especially in a car without air conditioning, LOL! Give me real leather or cloth. Cloth is a static generating machine on a dry winter day, but breathes a little better in the summer than leather, so you pay your money and take your chances!
Ah yes, the venerable Buick Skylark/Nova/Ventura/Omega.
A wholly cookie cutter car that is completely adequate.
My first car was a 1976 Buick Skylark……completely forgettable and unforgettable.
Add the Apollo, and you can spell NOVA with the first letter of each version’s name!
Nova (Chevy)
Omega (Olds)
Ventura (Pontiac)
Apollo (Buick)
I don’t know, could you get bucket seats and a console in the Buick versions? Nothing would surprise me either way, but somehow, buckets and a console would seem to be out of character for a Buick, too loud and sporty for the quiet luxury Buick was known for, that was Pontiac’s neighborhood, but who knows?
The Apollo/Skylark split was one year only in 1975, for ’76 they were all Skylarks.
Buick did the reverse a decade later, their N-body launched as the Somerset Regal coupe in 1985, for ’86 the 4-door Ns were added and in 1986-7 the coupe was Somerset and the sedan Skylark before the coupes took on the Skylark name too in 1988.
And the Skylark was a Y-Body compact from 1961-63, the upscale trim level for the entry-level Buick Special, corporate sisters to the Olds F-85 and Pontiac Tempest.
Nice car in nice shape, with a 350 and A/C, and reasonably priced. I hope it finds a good home.
This is a really decent looking car. Lesser options like the rear defog, clock and the FM radio says it was ordered (when you still could) like that and like you could in the good old days.
I would respectfully disagree with the author on the upholstery. It’s vinyl, and those seats are in fine shape for the material; vinyl is almost always cracked at least at a seam.
Yep, just butt-sprung vinyl on that seat.
Again and again, history has shown how goofy the American public was when it came to car buying, and not much has changed. I call these( and Pontiac and Olds), the “Rodney Dangerfield” of cars. Just couldn’t get any respect. For every one of these sold, I bet there were 1,000 Novas, it was the same car, people. A new ’78 Nova cost around $3880 new. Typically, these cost a little more, but had much nicer options, and it was a Buick. Okay, maybe not that “deuce and a quarter”, but had the V6, and the Nova only offered the inline 6or a V8. Can’t blame the public too much, for many, this was one of the 1st of the “badge engineering” that took over the industry, and only shows how loyal some folks were to a name.
“He tried to tell me there’s no difference between his Camaro and my Trans Am! except the badges!” Casey Kelso in “That 70’s Show”, Season 4 Episode 16, “Donna Dates a Kelso”.
I agree with those of you that dislike a vinyl top… One of my first jobs as a kid was to install them at a dealership. I just let go of a fantastic ’72 Dodge Dart solely b/c of it’s top and no A/C. Though the top was 2-3 yrs new and car garaged, I was always concerned about the special care for that one area and taking it out in the TX sun… Granted, they are attractive when new but, seeing what happens (from other cars) over time has put me off them. I go for easier maintenance painted tops. I think this Buick’s price might make the effort to remove the vinyl and paint the top worthwhile.
Would be cool to install an intercooled turbo V6 out of a 1986-1987 Buick Grand National under the hood of this Skylark. And it would fit too.
I like that idea!
i’m never one to doubt but this is a chevy 350 underhood. The distributor is in back and a close up see’s chrome covers with Goodwrench tags. Outside of that i would not mind having this in my garage, Its nicely equiped and one can easily and cheaply build up a F-41 suspension for great handling
You’re absolutely correct. Look at the way the AC compressor is mounted, if there is any doubt.
Looks like Chevy 350. Ad states upgraded engine by Mr. Goodwrench. And dual exhaust.
I had the exact car in the exact color-and yes, it was hot, sticky vinyl…the kind that would burn/rip the hair from your legs. It ran well for many years
I like this one. Another commenter is right. This isn’t a Buick 350. Looks like a Small Block Chevy to me. That’s still OK in my book. It was getting very common with GM by this time that vehicles started having drive trains cross Division lines. My Sister had a 77 Bonneville with the 350 4-barrel Oldsmobile engine. I really liked that car and wish she would have told me that she she was trading it off. I would have bought it. That Parisienne she bought was a P.O.S. It looked nice but it had a many problems.
Basic SB/350 2bolt main 2barrel 1 wheel drive.
Easy mod – drill 4bolt main cap kit on Jam a comp cam & lifter kit in + higher rate springs push rods should be ok, Heads are Smoggers-look in junk yard for HD heads off a truck or blazer there’s a mark on them ◆frt of head, that’s an HD head with the big valves bolts right on everything else is the same.
Do a good valve job & deburr head polish etc make sure it’s square, mill it if need be.
Drop decent street intake manifold if ya wanna run a 4bbl.
Add the cheapo 150-200hp NOS shot under the carb
You should be good for 350-380hp & your 150+NOS shot.
Toss all the Smog stuff.
Dump the Trans it’ll bend like a rubber band – a decent rebuilt junkyard TH350 out of Truck is good & your gonna want a 12bolt rear again junkyard find it,all should bolt right up no mods
If you spend more than 1k$ all in your over doing it.
Strip that awful Vinyl top & side piece off and light sand the car do a basic black rattle can paint job & youve got a Buick Skylark SS 350 retro-mod
Almost forgot, rear main springs will snap easy mod for torque is 1 extra leaf sheaf each side which raises rear 1/2 inch just enough room for big meats on the rear.
100lbs of sand bags each side in trunk will give all the traction you need.
Great, honest car IMHO and worth every bit of the asking price. Family had Pontiacs version in the 4 door, the Phoenix but with the 231 V6. It was a 1979, I believe very few differences from the 78. Was a great car but a dog on power. A V8 would have been much better but dad was looking at “fuel economy” back then. A few years later, I purchased a 1976 Nova sedan with the 305 V8….went like a scalded dog! Did some great burn outs in that Nova!
Nice car, i’d like it, but it’s a bit far away even with a decent price. Soup up the 350 a bit and go! I might try to find some buckets and a floor shift. cold air is a pluss too..